What goes around comes around.
This phrase popped into Zhou Gu’s head, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Su Rong, her head buried in the crook of his neck, chuckled at his silence, "Why aren’t you speaking anymore?"
Feeling helpless, Zhou Gu wondered what he could say. Never did he imagine that she would one day pay him back in kind for all the times he had bullied her.
Su Rong gave him a quick peck on the neck, making him shudder slightly. Seeing him react like that, she laughed even more heartily. "How does it feel? How does it feel to experience this sweet burden?"
Zhou Gu stubbornly managed, "It feels good."
Is it really? Su Rong asked with a smile.
Zhou Gu responded with a casual nod.
With that, Su Rong proceeded to shower him with kisses. She kissed his lips, his neck, the Adam’s apple, the skin peeking through from his loosely fitted clothing. Her affectionate advances left him gasping for breath, his face flushed, and his entire body trembling with tension.
Eventually, Zhou Gu could not bear it any longer and croaked out her name, "Su Rong."
She turned a deaf ear to his plea.
Zhou Gu implored in a shaky voice, "I beg you, I was wrong."
Su Rong lifted her head and met Zhou Gu’s eyes shining with regret. Her voice, laced with amusement and affection, was quite evident as she replied, "I wiped your body countless times and changed your clothes several times last night. You’ve never been cleaner."
Zhou Gu clenched his teeth in frustration, what did cleanliness have to do this? The issue here was his tolerance, or lack thereof.
With considerable effort, he reached out and gently held her hand, his voice getting softer, his words hardly audible, "Xiaoqi, I can’t stand it if you keep treating me like this."
Su Rong stared at him, a picture of perfect innocence. "I told you the same thing when you were doing this to me, but you didn’t listen either," she replied playfully.
Zhou Gu felt a pang of regret, "I was really wrong."
Unwilling to let him off so easily, Su Rong leaned in and kissed him again, effectively plugging his pitiful pleas for forgiveness.
Zhou Gu’s heart began to race, his breaths coming out in quick bursts. Eventually, this frantic rise and fall of his chest elicited a whimper of pain from him.
Su Rong immediately stopped, noticing the glassy sheen in his eyes and the crimson tints at the corners that looked as if they were about to set him aflame. She chuckled lightly, "You were completely still, how could you be in pain? I didn’t even bite you."
Zhou Gu merely stared at her, not uttering a word.
Amused, Su Rong teased, "I used to pretend to be in pain too."
Zhou Gu struggled to maintain his composure.
Su Rong reached out to stroke his face, her voice as gentle as a whisper, "Alright, I won’t bully you anymore. I just wanted you to know how far you went overboard."
Zhou Gu was now feeling somewhat remorseful. He had let his malicious thoughts off their leash like a devil escaped from its cage. He had been bewitched by how obediently she used to lay before him, and he was unable to control his actions. He admitted guiltily, "I didn’t do it intentionally, I just couldn’t help myself."
It wasn’t like her now, intentionally teasing him out of revenge.
Su Rong laughed at his remorseful state. She pinched his cheek playfully and asked him, "And what makes you think that I can resist?"
She sighed, pulled back her hand, and leaned over to give him a couple of quick pecks, whispering, "Zhou Gu, I cannot resist it either when you’re like this. I can’t help but want to kiss you."
Pulling back a bit, she continued, "I forgive you for what you did to me back then because now I know, I completely understand why you did what you did. It’s just not something you can help, nor something you want to resist."
Zhou Gu: "..."
His face flushed, and a sense of heat spread across his skin.
Reluctantly, Su Rong got off the bed, pulled the curtain and called out, "Someone."
One of her servants walked in, "Your Highness."
"Clean this place up, fetch a basin of fresh water, and bring me some food and drink," Su Rong instructed.
"Yes, Your Highness," the servant responded.
In a short while, the tent was clean. As soon as the servant left, Su Rong cleaned up her own face first before attending to Zhou Gu. He remained docile throughout, compliant with every move she made. After dinner was served, Zhou Gu was able to eat on his own, for while his right arm was injured, his left was perfectly capable of handling chopsticks. Therefore, once Su Rong helped him sit up properly, he didn’t need her assistance with eating the food.
After eating and gathering some strength, Zhou Gu managed to speak up, "How did you manage to save me from behind?"
Su Rong explained, "I was afraid a frontal attack would waste too much time, so I took a shortcut into Death Valley through the precipitous cliffs of Wanren Mountain with my guards. I left a few Vice Generals behind to launch a frontal attack from the entrance of the valley."
Zhou Gu understood, "So, that’s what happened."
He earnestly said to Su Rong, "Your timing to rescue me was impeccable."
If she had been any later, she wouldn’t have been able to save him.
Su Rong felt fortunate for her quick thinking. She put down her chopsticks, took his hand, without a hint of flirtation but full of warmth. Looking him in the eye, she said, "Don’t take risks in the future. You don’t know how I felt when I heard about your risk-taking in Nanchu, I immediately knew something was terribly wrong."
Zhou Gu nodded, "I won’t dare to, ever again."
He had never expected things to go that far, leading to a situation where there was no way out, no road ahead, and no doors to enter. He had desperately prayed, asking for even the slightest sign of hope.
Su Rong let go of his hand and gently held him, "It’s not that I’m unfilial, but truthfully, in my heart, you matter most to me, compared to my unknown biological father."
This touched Zhou Gu deeply, he softly said, "Don’t say this in front of your father. He cares a lot for his late wife and you. It would break his heart. On the journey, we had to hide here and there. He never complained once. He doesn’t like eating mutton, but he devoured it."
Su Rong chuckled, "Maybe he genuinely liked it?"
Zhou Gu couldn’t resist laughing, shaking so much it hurt his wound and left him gasping for air.
Rushing to loosen her hold on him, Su Rong admonished, "Are you actually in pain this time? Lie down now!"
Holding him as he laid down, Su Rong laughed and scolded lightly, "You’ve spent all this time with my father, using it as an opportunity to win him over."
Zhou Gu, trying hard not to laugh, curved his mouth up at the corners, feeling exceedingly pleased with himself, "Yes, initially he was a little uncomfortable with me. But over time, he began to grow fond of me. I could feel him accepting me as his son-in-law."
"If he had been overly critical of you, I wouldn’t have acknowledged him. You didn’t need to try so hard to please him," Xiaoqi jabbed his face.
Zhou Gu laughed, "I wasn’t intentionally trying to please him. I just shared half of my roasted rabbit with him and told him that if I got too hungry, he would feel sorry for me. From then on, he was content with whatever was given to him, be it food or anything else. Even when we were short on provisions, he intended to have less so that I could have more, using my words against me. ’If you starve, I’d feel sorry for you. As your unseen father, I don’t dare compete with you for a place in your heart. I’m not even trying to compete.’"
"He sounds like a good, reasonable man. No wonder my godfather could not outdo him; I guess he deserved the defeat." Su Rong chuckled.
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